Learning the Guitar
I have always wanted to play an instrument. I come from a long line of musicians on my father's side. My father was a keyboard legend. His father was a renowned big band leader. His mother was also a professional pianist. My step father (long considered to simply be my dad) is a master musician and performer. Both of my dads are in the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame (as is my mother for her role as a manager and producer).
In my early youth I was, naturally, introduced to the piano but it didn't interest me. I preferred various types of balls that went through various types of hoops or were hit by various types of rackets. In my late 20s, I took up the piano again, and again it didn't stick. I sold my upright grand to a friend after a couple of months.
Some months ago I felt the urge - or need really - for something new. I wanted something in my life that I was terrible at, a true beginner. I wanted something that would challenge my brain in wholly new ways, creating new neural pathways and patterns. I wanted to challenge my coordination and body. And I wanted to play music with my dad, which I’ve long desired.
The old saying is that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time is today. My musical “today” had finally come.
As a total beginner to playing an instrument, I considered what to play. Certain instruments, such as the cello, which I love, were ruled out due to space limitations in my house. Others simply weren’t particularly appealing. I also googled "easiest instrument to learn" and found several lists that were all quite similar. The organ, my biological father's preferred instrument, was consistently ranked as the hardest. I settled on the guitar for a number of reasons: it's one of the easiest instruments to learn; they are commonly available; lessons and teachers are similarly abundant; they fit in my house; and I simply love the beauty of the guitar and all of its flexibility.
I knew that I was more interested in acoustic than electrical, and more drawn to classical playing than western playing. I'd rather play Satie and traditional Spanish pieces than cover well known pop songs (though that's cool too). I gave myself a budget of $100 to buy a guitar, since my predilection was to buy something much more expensive, like the upright grand piano I bought in my 20s. I found a great Fender FC-30 from the 70s, made in Japan, listed locally for $250. I knew this was my first guitar. I contacted the seller, a wonderful woman who shares several friends with me though we had never met. In the end, she offered me the guitar for free. Accepting gifts gracefully is something I actively work on, so I did (well.. I gave her a great jar of jam!).
I started searching for a teacher. I know many musicians and there are many guitar teachers in Nanaimo, but none that specifically teach classical, so I started looking for online courses or teachers. I came across Bradford Werner, creator of www.thisisclassicalguitar.com and was immediately interested. His courses are well thought out, progressive, starting at absolute zero (my level!), his written lessons are accompanied by many detailed videos, and his first course is free. The fact he is BC based was a coincidental bonus. Sold.
When I started meditating years ago, I learned many lessons from the great Zen teacher, Zoketsu Norman Fischer, including his recommendation to commit to daily practice for 30 days without judgment, and only at the end of this time assess its value and whether you should continue. I’ve used this lesson personally and shared it with many others often in many facets of life. In this case, I felt 30 days would not be sufficient to assess learning an instrument, so I chose 100 days. My first day, which involved no playing but rather buying new strings and learning to install them, was April 24, 2021. I missed a few days here and there in the following four and a half months, but now I find myself at day 100 and coincidentally at the end of Bradford’s beginner’s lesson book, ready to assess the guitar and being a musician.
In truth, there is nothing to assess. I love learning the guitar. It’s giving me all that I hoped for and more. While certainly some days are better than others, even those days that are somewhat labored are positive to my mental health. And the transcendent days? They start straying into bliss and joy territory.
My brain is deeply challenged as it is forced to develop completely new ways of thinking and new patterns (aka music) and learn the wholly new language of written music. It’s wild and hilarious and sometimes frustrating to not have control over my body (why won’t my left pinky stay still!). And it’s profound to feel, even in glimpses at my beginner’s level, music come through me. There is also a very similar quality to climbing: a frequent experience of something being not possible one day, then possible the next, with a new challenge always to face.
So here is my first little concert on day 100. Next stop, Beethoven.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ1kjq9V3mo